Belmont considering cannabis stores on El Camino Real

Retail options are storefront retail dispensaries and delivery services.

At its July 25 special meeting, the council unanimously expressed interest in a staff proposal to look further into commercial options along El Camino Real.

“To me, this feels like a reasonable, moderated and controlled way to engage with a business that is as new as cannabis, so I support it,” Councilmember Gina Latimerlo said at the meeting.

The option is a significant reduction from a previous council idea of allowing cannabis stores on portions of El Camino Real, Old County Road and Ralston Avenue, with a distribution area on Shoreway Road that was dropped last year after resident pushback. The city was exploring allowing a maximum of three commercial retail stores and four distribution sites in the zoning areas. However, residents spoke out against options on Old County Road and Ralston Avenue

because of the proximity to schools, families and neighborhoods. Mayor Julia Mates said the public made its opinions clear and expressed optimism that the current proposal was more palatable.

“I think this is a better, narrower overlay, and it provides some of the changes our community was looking for,” Mates said.

Several councilmembers visited cannabis stores in other cities to get a sense of what it means for Belmont and noted other shops have security requirements, are low key and don’t attract unwanted attention. Councilmember Tom McCune said he worked across the street from a cannabis facility in San Francisco and was safe due to a security guard and its nondescript nature.

“The area around that cannabis dispensary is probably the safest place in three or floor blocks because the security guard is always there,” McCune said. “You don’t have crowds of people assembling outside. It’s very low-key.”

Revenue would depend on the type of cannabis businesses and volume. City estimated numbers from 2021 about cannabis retail storefronts show yearly income per storefront could be $250,000 to $300,000. The increased revenue would help the city diversify funding, a priority for the council due to a projected loss in state tax revenue for the city’s budget in the coming fiscal years.

Several speakers supported the zoning overlay, noting it would help those who use cannabis for medical issues and don’t want to travel far away to buy cannabis. Michael Olsen, a Belmont resident, noted his son was a cancer survivor who benefited from using cannabis to manage pain. The experience of seeing the difference it made in his son’s life made him reconsider having a cannabis store in Belmont to ensure people don’t have to drive long distances.

“There is indeed a place in our world where people can use this,” Olsen said.

The council remained divided on if there should be one or two stores, with the city studying different options and planning to bring more information back to the council. Several councilmembers suggested one store first as a test run, while others were satisfied with allowing two.

curtis@smdailyjournal.com

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